


Be with me

by filhadoboto



Series: My TROS fix-it therapy [1]
Category: Reylo - Fandom, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Ben Solo Lives, Complete, DYAD, F/M, Fix-it fic, Force Bond, Fuck Canon, Happy Ending, Resurrection, Reylo - Freeform, Tros fix-it, force ghost, fuck you JJ and CT!, my tros fix-it therapy series, suicidal thought, the last Skywalker rises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:55:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23015872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/filhadoboto/pseuds/filhadoboto
Summary: In her desperation, Rey begs for help to save Ben and her plea is answered in an unexpected way.
Relationships: Chewbacca & Ben Solo & Rey, Kylo Ren/Rey, Leia Organa & Ben Solo & Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: My TROS fix-it therapy [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1654099
Comments: 16
Kudos: 95





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven’t yet watched TROS, continue at your own risk (No, I will not tell you to watch it first and then go back to read it, as I think TROS does not deserve your time or your money). I watched (and wish I'd never done it) and, since nothing there makes ANY sense, decided to make my OWN CANON.
> 
> I started writing this series with the hope that with every fix-it I write, it will help me put the pieces of my heart in place. I hope that reading this will help you feel less devastated too.
> 
> English is not my native language, sorry for grammar errors (In google translate I trust!).

Rey felt that nothing else made _sense_.

Her parents had abandoned her in the Jakku desert and they were _dead_.

Han Solo, her friend, was _dead_.

Luke Skywalker, her reluctant Jedi master, was _dead_.

Palpatine, her Sith grandfather and last member of her family, was _dead_ (by her hands).

Ben Solo, the love of her life, her soulmate, was _dead_.

Part of Rey, half of her soul, was dead and the cold emptiness of his absence made her wish she was dead, _too_. Nothing else mattered, nothing else made sense, and she felt like the most lonely being in the galaxy.

In Exegol, when the connection between them opened and she looked not in the tormented eyes of Kylo Ren that she had last seen in the wreckage of the death star, but in Ben Solo's gentle, warm eyes, Rey felt all her conflict and fear disappear and her heart fill with hope. _And love_. The realization that he loved her as much as she loved him had taken her breath away.

He had crossed the galaxy to be able to stand beside her, as she had done when she discovered that Luke had tried to murder him.

She was not alone.

He was not alone.

The two would never need to be alone again.

They just needed to defeat the mighty Sith before them.

As against Snoke's praetorian guard, he was there beside her and the two fought as if they were one person. They fought like the dyad they discovered to be and the Force flowed around and through them making her feel his heartbeat as if it were hers.

Palpatine had separated them, hoping that the physical distance would lessen the power of the dyad, but he was mistaken. Even with Ben away from her and unconscious, the bond between them allowed Rey to fight as if he were beside her and, after finally destroying the Sith, she felt her body crumble. The fight had demanded a lot from her, more than she had imagined it could, and a cold darkness began to envelop her as her life began to fade. She floated in endless darkness until she felt a pleasant warmth begin to envelop her body and a light appeared before her. She floated towards the light and took a deep breath when she emerged from the darkness.

The first thing she saw was Ben's face. His eyes were closed, his brow furrowed in concentration and he held her gently in his arms, with an open hand on her belly. She laid her hand on his and he opened his eyes.

" _Ben_." she said in adoration.

" _Rey_." he said, his face full of relief.

"What happened?"

He looked at their hands resting on her belly and back to her face "You were dying and I couldn't let that happen."

She lifted her torso and he helped her to sit down "You... you brought me out of the darkness."

He nodded and she finally gave in to the desire she had felt since Ahch-To and touched his face, his hair. "Thank you." Ben smiled and she felt like her heart was going to explode with all the love she felt for him "I love you _so much_ , Ben." she said as her fingers stroked his cheek.

His eyes widened, surprised "Do you?"

She nodded and allowed everything she felt for him to spill over the bond. She watched his eyes as he was practically drowned by her feelings and thoughts about him. And then, Ben did the same as she did, he broke down all the barriers and showed her everything he felt.

Amazed by all that they both felt, Rey held his face with both hands and kissed him. Ben's arms wrapped around her a second later and pressed her against his body and she heard him say, loud and clear in her mind, _'I love you, Rey. I love you. I love you.'._ Her hands combed his hair as they went to the back of his neck, where they rested and Rey pressed him closer to her. Ben's lips moved against hers and she followed his movements, delighted by the sensations he caused her. There in his arms, she felt alive, safe. _Complete_ . She finally found her _belonging_. Images of a future together flowed through their bond and she couldn't wait to start living her life with him.

When their lips parted, he rested his forehead on hers and they both took a deep breath. She placed a light kiss on the tip of his nose, his cheeks and his lips as he traced soft circles on her back. She looked him in the eye and he gave her a sad smile "I'm sorry." he said and she frowned "I will love you forever."

"Ben?" she said, confused. Why was he apologizing? He had done nothing that needed to be excused. And he had fought beside her. And he had saved her life... and then she felt life leaving Ben at the same time that his body fell back and the only thing she could do was try to prevent his head from hitting the stone floor of the Sith temple.

For a few seconds, she stared at him, not knowing what to do. His face was serene, serene in a way she had never seen before. She held Ben's body in her arms, her joy being crushed by pain and sorrow, her vision blurred and her tears wet his face.

"Is not _fair_." she said in a whisper, “It's not fair that I lose you. It is not fair that the only person who understands me, who knows who I really am and who completes me, is taken from me.”

In her desperation, she started to shake his body, waiting for some response, some sign that there was some _hope_ , some sign that he was not _lost_ forever.

"Ben, you told me that I was no longer alone!" she shouted "You said we were one soul in two bodies!" But there was no answer “If that was the price you had to pay, why did you bring me back? _Why_ , Ben?” she shook him again, anger taking over her “You are a kriffing selfish, Ben Solo! Do you hear me? _A_ _kriffing_ _selfish_! You had no right to leave me!” she tapped his inert chest with her hands in fist "Why did you do this to me?"

She stared at his face, in vain hoping that he would open his eyes and smile at her and say that it was okay, that he would never leave her. She took his hand that was beginning to lose its warmth and the understanding that he was gone hit her.

Ben Solo was _dead_. The other half of her soul was gone, leaving a bloody wound, an empty cold in its place.

How was she going to move on without him? How could she go back to the Resistance and tell Leia that her son had given up his own life to save her? How could she get on with her life knowing that the only person who understood her was dead? She had friends who cared about her, but they never saw her as she really was, they saw her as a Jedi, a resource, a way to win that war and she wasn't sure if she wanted to come back to them now that her life had lost its meaning.

Slowly, she brought her lips close to his and kissed him. The feel of his _cold lips_ against hers only served to confirm that she had lost him and made her heart ache even more. Rey of Jakku had spent her life looking for her belonging and when she finally found him, when she finally felt whole and was ready to finally leave the past behind and start really living her life with him... he was taken from her. And now she would spend the rest of her life alone and knowing that she had everything she wanted most in her hands for a few minutes, but like water, it had escaped between her fingers. She would live each day knowing that only death would bring them together again. She would roam the galaxy, a being in half, incomplete, always feeling the emptiness left by him and never being able to fill it.

_No._

She was _not_ going to allow this to become an absolute truth. He had fought for her and she would do the same for him, regardless of the consequences. Not even death would make her give up on him. She sat next to Ben, placed her hands on his chest and took a deep breath, concentrating on feeling the Force around her.

"Be with me." she started, now trying to connect not only with the old Jedi who never responded to her call, but also with anyone who could bring Ben back. "Be with me." she said again and again, her hands resting on his inert chest. Again and again she repeated "Be with me.", her voice echoed in the old temple. "Be with me." she said, her voice starting to choke with the crying and pain that rose in her chest and threatened to suffocate her. "Be with me." she asked, her cheeks now wet with her tears. "Be with me." she said, refusing to give up hope, to let him go. "Be with me." she repeated, willing to give anything to get him back. "Be with me." she said when despair and fear began to try to shake her faith when she felt his skin getting colder and colder. "Be with me." she said, the thought of using her lightsaber to end her life and suffering and join him looking more and more tempting. "Be with me... _please... please..."_

"We are with you, Rey." a chorus of voices responded to her plea and Rey opened her eyes to face five faces that were familiar to her, faces that had features similar to the man lying on the floor in front of her. She could feel the Force emanating from them in balance, and among the five, she recognized Han and Luke, but had no idea who the other two women and the other man were. Whoever they were, it didn't matter at that moment, what mattered was whether they could help Ben, if they could bring him back.

" _Please_..." she pleaded, her voice choked with crying "Please... help him." she looked at Ben's face "Please take my life if necessary, but let him live."

"Ben's wish is for _you_ to live, Rey." the five figures said together.

" _Please_." she begged. "I'll do anything... just help him, please."

The translucent figures in front of her looked at Ben's body, closed their eyes and stretched out a hand over him. Seconds later, Rey felt the Force moving around them, as if it were a whirlwind and then she felt a flow of energy reach her body and flow through her arms, her hands and enter Ben's body, filling every cell in him. Rey closed her eyes, ready to give her all to save him, and focused on the emptiness in her mind that was the place where their bond once occupied, longing for the moment when that emptiness would be filled by Ben's warm and comforting presence once again.

The flow of energy continued to flow through her and she pressed her hands to Ben's chest "Be with me, Ben." she pleaded and then she felt what seemed to her to be the light beat of his heart. She held her breath and waited a few seconds before she could feel it again and again and again, the interval between the beats becoming smaller and smaller and then his chest moved and she opened her eyes. His chest slowly rose and fell, his skin started to get warm again, and his heartbeat was starting to stabilize and then, she felt… the emptiness began to fill with his familiar presence and he took a deep breath.

Ben Solo was _alive_.

His eyes met hers and he looked confused and lost. "Rey?" he said, recognizing her.

"Ben." she said, ecstatic and hugged him. His hands wrapped around her and he murmured against her hair " _How_?"

She placed a light kiss on his _warm lips_ before sitting down again and looking at the five figures that still sent the Force through her. Ben looked at them and she felt his confusion through their bond. " _They_ heard me."

The five dropped their hands and looked at Ben. He tried to sit up and Rey helped him "You are _not_ Force Ghosts." he said after looking at them for a few seconds.

"No, we are not. But after everything that happened, your family was looking forward to seeing you.” they replied "I am your great-grandmother, Shmi." said the woman with warm brown eyes, a sweet smile and black hair like Ben's "And I'm your grandmother, Padmé." said the woman with a beaming smile and haughty air that reminded her of Leia “I am your grandfather, Anakin. I'm sorry I didn't come earlier.” said the man with an air of confidence and an innocent smile "I said I would keep an eye on you, didn't I?" said a young version of Luke with a wink "Hi, kid. It's great to see you two together." said a younger version of Han with a beaming half smile.

Ben looked closely at the faces of each of them as they went on to say who they were and she could feel Ben's happiness at meeting his family members that he just heard about.

"What about my mother?" asked Ben, his voice breaking. "Didn't she want to see me?"

"She is still alive and waiting for you." they informed "And we are all so proud of you, Ben." the five said with warm smiles and she felt his body shudder when he finally allowed all of his emotion to surface.

He took a deep breath “Why did you help me? Why now? I believed that nobody _wanted_ me, that nobody _cared_ about me.”

“We always look out for you, Ben and it was time for the last Skywalker _to rise_.” The five said before looking at Rey “And someone made it quite clear to us that it was not yet time for you to join the Force.”

He stared at her and the only thing she managed to say was "I'm sorry."

"No." he said, understanding what she meant by repeating the words he had said to her recently. He looked at the five figures "Please don't take her away from me."

The five smiled "We are not going to take Rey from you."

"Aren’t you?" asked Rey hopefully. Could she have a second chance to live her life with Ben?

They shook their heads, denying “You two are connected in a way that you have barely started to understand. You two are one. You are a soul in two bodies and that means that one cannot join the Force without the other.” the five said in unison "I made you two and I know how stubborn and persistent you are and that one will not give up on joining the other, so... you _two_ stay alive."

Rey and Ben looked at each other and smiled. Then Ben frowned and looked back at the five "Did you say you created our bond, our dyad?" the five nodded together "And you also said that you are not Force ghosts." they nodded "So does that mean you are... _The Force_?"

The five figures smiled and nodded again. Rey stared at each of those faces, dumbfounded. The Force itself had materialized to answer her pleas.

The two watched in surprise when the five figures held hands and began to merge until they became a tall, translucent humanoid figure. There was no nose, eyes or mouth on its face, but even so, Rey and Ben could hear its voice in their heads, feel its gestures and its gaze on them and its emotions flowing through them as if they were both an extension of it. The Force sat before them, legs crossed over its bodie, as if to meditate and stared at them.

“The Sith and the Jedi always thought that they understood my will and that it made them special, but the centuries-old fight between them trying to show _which side_ of me was the strongest only brought disorder and imbalance. Throughout the generations and the history of the galaxy, I have tried to show that light needs darkness as well as darkness needs light, that one does not exist without the other and life _needs both_ to exist. But since neither side seemed to be paying attention to what I was showing them, I decided to act and then I created Anakin Skywalker hoping that he would end the conflict between Sith and Jedi and restore balance, but, _once again_ , they managed to distort my work and as a consequence they generated even more imbalance. Palpatine managed to manipulate _my_ _chosen one_ and plunged the galaxy into darkness and I had to wait until Anakin found his way back into balance and did the work for which he had been created!” they felt the Force take a deep breath before continuing “So I decided to split my next chosen one in two to make things a little more difficult for the Sith and Jedi apprentices that still remained in the galaxy. I made you two equal, equal in power, equal in light and dark. So equal with each other that if the power of one grows, the power of the other grows and so the balance between you is maintained. I made you a powerful dyad capable of communicating with each other through time and space so that you would recognize yourself as part of each other when you met.” the Force pointed out to him, “Ben, with the blood, stubbornness and compassion of the Skywalker, as well as the weight of their legacy. I didn't expect that you would be marked by the dark side still in your mother's womb or that your family would fail so grandly to protect you.” and then to her "And Rey, an orphan girl, with no legacy beyond what she created for herself."

Confused, Rey looked at Ben and then at the Force “But, I… _I'm_ a Palpatine, am I not? He said that I am his granddaughter, that he was my only family.”

The Force shook its head "No, you were _never_ a Palpatine, Rey."

"I'm not?"

"You are not. Palpatine has always manipulated people and lied to get what he wanted and the power you both have is certainly the kind of power he would say and do anything to have.” Rey felt great relief fill her heart and smiled. The Force continued “Your power comes from _yourself_ and neither you nor anyone else has to be descended from someone powerful in the Force to be powerful. _You are_ Rey of Jakku. You are the orphan girl who has survived everything that life has put in your way. You are the girl who despite all the loneliness, fear and suffering has never lost hope and the ability to be kind and generous to others around you. You're the girl who believed that there was hope for Ben when he didn't even believe it. You are stronger than you think you are.” The Force gave them a warm smile “Ben, my boy, you've lived your whole life under the weight of your family's legacy. You were isolated, neglected, betrayed and abandoned and yet, you never gave yourself up to the dark side and never let your light be taken from you.” The Force lifted its arms and touched their cheeks “You two are stronger than you think you are. Rey, you are the missing piece in Ben, just as he is the missing piece in you. And now that the chosen one has fulfilled their mission, the balance is finally returning.” the Force closed its eyes and took a deep breath “Can you feel it? Light and darkness together, as it should be.”

The two closed their eyes, holding each other's hands tightly and extending their senses beyond that place. The Force was right. There was a big, unstoppable change taking place in the galaxy.

"What should we do now?" asked Ben.

The Force lowered its arms, stared at them for a few seconds and smiled before simply saying " _Live_." and disappeared.

For a few seconds, Rey and Ben stared at each other, just feeling each other's presence in their minds.

"I was so afraid of losing you." she said hugging him.

"I know exactly how you felt." he kissed her hair "You were willing to do anything to bring me back."

She looked at him. “You heard the Force, Ben. We are a dyad and that means that we should be _together_.”

"Thank you for not giving up on me." he said, stroking her cheek.

She smiled "Did you really think I would give up on you that easily, Ben Solo?" he gave her the brightest of smiles and she put her hand over his "How could I live knowing that my other half is gone?" he kissed her lips softly and she felt complete, at home.

"What do you want to do now?" he asked when their lips parted.

She snuggled into his arms and thought for a few seconds, “To begin with, my plan is to take a long shower, eat as much food as my stomach can handle and sleep safely in your arms. And then, the plan is to live the rest of my life with you and that your face is the first and the last thing that I will see when I wake up and when I fall asleep.”

He laughed "This sounds like a great plan to me." he said and held her tight against his chest.

"Good." Rey placed several kisses on his jaw, and he protested when she disengaged herself from his arms "And since we agreed..." she said standing up and extending her hand to him "How about we start executing the first part of the plan?" He gave her a smile and let her help him to his feet.

Exhausted and supported by each other, the two walked together out of the temple and looked up at the sky where the last Resistance ships were flying. A few minutes later, the Falcon's familiar silhouette began to approach and landed a few feet away.

She felt him tensing when the Falcon ramp opened and Chewie went down to receive them. She hugged him and said looking him in the eye "We don't need to join the Resistance." then she gestured to the ships they both used to reach Exegol "We can go wherever you want, because my home is where _you_ are, Ben."

She felt his happiness flow through the bond. He smiled, placed a light kiss on her lips and took a deep breath "Let's go with him."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded and she could feel through the bond that he was sure of his decision “It is time to go home. My mom has waited too long for my return.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben Solo meets his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was only after publishing the first chapter that I realized that I should write Ben and Leia's reunion.

Chewbacca could barely believe his eyes when he saw the two of them standing outside the Sith temple.

Without even thinking twice, he and Lando took the Falcon to where they were and even before the ship touched the ground, Chewie got up from his co-pilot seat and headed for the freighter's door. He needed to make sure that what he saw from the sky was real.

When the ramp finally came down and he went down it, he could see the two a few feet away, leaning on each other. His first instinct was to go to them and help them board, but when he saw Rey point to an old X-Wing vaguely familiar to him and a TIE fighter not far from them, he understood that the two were deciding which way to go from there and he restrained himself. A few seconds of uncertainty passed and, after the two exchanged a quick kiss, they started walking slowly towards the Falcon.

The closer they got, the more details the wookie could see. Not only did they both look extremely tired, but they were badly hurt. There was a lot of dirt and blood on their clothes and scratches on their hands, arms and faces. When they reached the bottom of the ramp, Rey looked at him and offered him a tired smile as Ben alternated between looking at him and his own feet, looking embarrassed and he could imagine what was going through the boy's mind at that moment.

Chewie smiled and welcomed Ben and Rey with open arms, gesturing to the interior of the ship. He watched as the two climbed up and followed them closely, fearing that they might collapse halfway. It had been a long time since he had felt so much relief and happiness at the same time. The wookie was tired, _so tired_ of losing his friends and his family in this war, but this time, he was getting someone back, two people he loved. His _sweet_ and _smart_ little boy (it didn't matter that for his own kind he was considered a grown man) that he had feared would be lost forever. And his _fierce_ and _brave_ little girl, who had won his admiration the moment he met her and took his heart as they spent more time together.

Once inside the ship, the three looked at each other. Chewie walked towards them and Ben closed his eyes, perhaps fearing that he would try to hurt him, but he did not step back when the wookie wrapped him in his arms and returned the hug seconds later. While hugging Ben, he can't help but think of his old and great friend, no, _his brother_ , Han Solo. Han would be so happy to be able to hug his son and know that he was no longer alone, that his little boy had found a partner, someone who had faith in him and who had not hesitated to cross the galaxy to save him.

"Baby Ben." he said when they parted and messing up Ben's hair even more.

The boy gave him a smile between wistful and guilty "Uncle Chewie."

"You finally came home." he said hugging Ben once more. He can't help remembering the first time he held little Ben, still a baby, in his arms and how the baby held his thumb tightly and gave him a smile so sweet it made his heart melt. He remembered when Ben was a small child and followed him and his father down the Falcon, pointing to everything with overwhelming curiosity. Chewie was never able to do anything until the boy fell asleep in his arms, because he feared that he would end up hurting himself with all the mess that was inside the Falcon. He remembered the countless times Ben had tried to learn Shyriiwook and how proud he had been of that small, determined human when he said his first sentence in his language.

"I'm so sorry." Ben wiped his own tears. "It took me a long time to find my way back."

"It's okay, Ben." he said and let go so he could look into his eyes "What matters is that you found it and now you're here."

When he held little Rey in his arms, he was relieved and grateful. Since Han's death, she had become his mate and, in a way, he had become attached to her as if she were his own daughter.

"My little ray of light." he said looking her in the eye "I was afraid of losing you too."

She looked at Ben and then gave him a huge smile. "You almost lost me, but Ben was there to make sure that nothing bad happened to me."

Rey had finally managed to get Ben back home. Chewie pulled Ben and hugged them both and the three laughed.

"You two look exhausted, as if you fell into a hungry sarlacc pit and fought it almost to death to get out of there."

Rey nodded "I think that describes what happened to us, Chewie." she said and Ben agreed.

“So you better go to the captain's chambers and get some rest. I'm going to ask Lando to take us back to the base and look for something edible and I'll take it to you.”

The two nodded and walked slowly, leaning on each other. Minutes later, he entered the chambers, his arms full of everything edible he could find on the ship and a medical kit, and he came across a scene that made his heart melt. The two were lying on the small bed, deeply asleep in each other's arms, their faces serene. Ben held Rey against his chest and the fingers of their hands were intertwined over his chest, as if even in their sleep, they both feared that one would be taken from the other.

Chewie smiled and felt his eyes fill with tears, tears of happiness and gratitude. With the utmost care not to wake them, although he suspected that nothing would be capable of that, Chewie placed the food and medical kit in a box near the bed and returned to the cockpit.

"I contacted the base and told them that we are coming back." informed Lando with a smile "But I didn't say that Starfighter is coming back with us."

“It's better this way. But I'm sure that Leia already knows that her son is coming back to her.”

"Do you think they will try to do anything against him?" asked Lando, concerned.

"They will have to go through me, Leia and Rey to get to him."

“And through me too. The boy made many mistakes on his way, but we all deserve a second chance, don't we?” Chewie nodded happily and Lando asked, “How are they doing? Are the injuries very serious? I'm eager to talk to him."

"They are sleeping. I think they passed out from exhaustion.” he said and sat in the co-pilot's seat "I didn't want to wake them up, but I left the food there, for when they wake up."

The two were silent for a few minutes "Han would be very happy to hear that his son has returned home."

Chewie nodded "If he were here, he would say he had _a good feeling_ about it the moment he saw Ben carrying Rey in his arms in Takodana and that he never doubted that his son would return to them."

The two laughed and continued their conversation reminiscing about their adventures with their dear friend Han, who, although always had a bad feeling about things all the time, never wanted to know what his odds were before doing anything.

When they approached Ajan Kloss, Chewie thought it best to wake them up. He gently shook Ben's shoulder, but it was Rey who woke up first.

"We are reaching the base." he said and she nodded "I left you food."

"I'm going to wake Ben up for us to eat." he nodded and started walking towards the door "Thanks for everything, Chewie." said Rey.

He turned to her “You don't have to thank me. We are a _family_ and in a family, one takes care of the other.” he said. She nodded with tears in her eyes and he left to prepare everything for landing.

  
  


**\------------------------------------------------------------------------**

  
  


Leia felt them hours before seeing them.

She had felt it when Ben and Rey's presence had practically become one in the Force. It had filled her heart with hope that was soon turned to ashes when not only her presence but that of her son _disappeared_ . For a few infinite minutes, she had suffered from the emptiness that was no longer being able to sense her son's presence in the Force . Even his dark presence, filled with anger and anguish, was better than the emptiness of his absence, of his… but then, things _changed_. By some miracle she could feel their presence, weak at first, but getting stronger and stronger by the minute until they looked like twin suns appearing after a long and furious storm.

Now she could feel that her son's presence in the Force was growing stronger and closer and she couldn't stop smiling. Instead of the darkness and the violent turmoil of emotions she had felt the last time, now her son was in balance, serene, at peace. Beside him, she could feel another presence, a presence that had become very dear to her, Rey. Jakku's generous, courageous and compassionate girl, who seemed lost when Leia met her and who seemed to care about her son to the point of risk her own life to save him from Snoke's hands.

At every moment, information came from all corners of the Galaxy about how the First Order was being defeated ship by ship and the systems previously occupied by its regime were now struggling to be free again. The surviving pilots from the battle at Exegol arrived from time to time and each ship that landed caused a wave of celebration among those already at the base.

While waiting for the Falcon to arrive, she observed the reunion of friends, family and lovers. She watched as Poe and Finn hugged little Rose and shared the news about who had or hadn't survived the battle. She watched people mourn the loss of friends and raise a toast on their name and was relieved to learn that the deaths of so many had not been in vain.

In addition to the atmosphere of euphoria and victory that surrounded her, she could feel that there was something going on in the galaxy. There was something _different_ about the Force, a sense of change and hope filling everything and everyone around her, something she couldn't quite explain what it was exactly.

"Are you _feeling_ it?" she asked Maz. That was an unknown sensation for Leia, although she was sure Maz had felt it before.

The little woman smiled and nodded "The Force is finally in _balance_."

_Balance_. Yes, Maz was right. The Force was in balance. After decades of darkness, disorder and imbalance, things in the galaxy were changing, coming into balance and this was reflected by the life around them, with everything looking brighter, more vivid. When the Rebel Alliance defeated the Empire, what was happening now did not happen then and her intuition, the Force actually, told her that that change had to do with the fact that her son and Rey had met.

When the Millennium Falcon finally landed among the trees of the forest in Ajan Kloss, Leia's anxiety had already crossed all imaginable limits. Time seemed to slow down as she waited for the ship's ramp to descend and she could see her son coming down it, but it was Chewie and Lando who appeared first. The crowd cheered when they saw them and they were hugged, celebrated and patted on the back. They walked up to her when they saw her.

She could feel Ben and Rey's anxious presence on the Falcon and looked at the ship, fearing that the old freighter would disappear with her son if she took her eyes off it.

"Don't worry, Princess, he won't run." said Lando, giving her a strong hug "He is as anxious for this moment as you are."

"He has come a very long and difficult way to get here." said Chewie, hugging her "He'll come down when he's ready."

Leia nodded. She had waited for years for that moment and now that her son was mere meters away from her, she had to calm down and wait until he was ready to meet with her.

She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding when she saw them, leaning on each other, descending with slow, hesitant steps until they stopped at the end of the ramp. The crowd parted, opening the way between her and the young couple watching her at the base of the Falcon’s ramp. Her heart ached when she saw how much her son looked like his father although she could see some of her own features on his face, and she couldn't help remembering the thousands of times that her sweet little boy had said that he wanted to be a pilot just like his father and have many adventures with him while traveling together through the galaxy on the Millennium Falcon.

Still supported by each other, her son and Rey started walking towards her, but something made him hesitate. Leia could hear the curious whispers of those who did not know who the man once was and the indignant gasp of those who knew his recent past, but for her, the past did not matter. What mattered was now, what mattered was having her child in her arms once more.

"My son." she said in a loud and clear tone for everyone to hear and opened her arms, inviting him, encouraging him to come to her. The voices around them fell silent as confused faces looked between her and the two.

He gave her a shy, uncertain smile and looked at the girl beside him. Rey stood on tiptoe and kissed his lips before letting go of him and encouraging him to move on with a slight nod. Leia held her breath as she watched her little boy walk slowly, but determined to meet her. Life made sense again the moment she wrapped him in her arms and she could hear his heartbeat.

"My _little boy_."

"Mom." he said, his voice breaking, holding her tight against him.

Her heart was filled with an absurd amount of happiness and love when she heard that _simple_ _little_ word coming out of Ben's mouth. After everything that had happened to her son, there had been many moments when she doubted she would live to hear him call her mother again. But here they were. Holding each other in their arms, together again as _mother_ and _son_ and not fighting on opposite sides of a war as enemies.

" _My son!_ " she said when their bodies parted and she held his face in her hands. "I have waited so long for this moment."

"I know and I'm sorry." he said with a smile and she could no longer hold back the tears "It wasn't easy, but I found my way back home." her son placed soft kisses on her face before hugging her again.

“The important thing is that you are here, dear. You came back to me, to your family.” she said through tears. For the first time in a long time, Leia felt relieved, at peace.

Still hugging her son, she saw when Rey greeted the people around her and was approached and hugged by her friends. They knew that her son and Kylo Ren were the same person and they seemed concerned that Rey had appeared with him at the base. She said a few words to them and Rose hugged her and Finn and Poe exchanged a resigned look before doing the same. She broke free from her friends' embrace to kneel in front of Maz and wrap her arms around her.

"I said your belonging was waiting for you ahead, didn't I?" Maz asked, returning Rey's hug.

The girl looked at her son and her face went red “And you were right, Maz, but I found a lot more than my belonging.” she said with a bright smile "I found the part that was missing in me."

Leia held out her hand and Rey joined their embrace, with Leia being wrapped in their arms. She could feel the Force flowing in balance through the two, as if they were one being divided into two bodies and this confirmed what she suspected, the great change she was feeling spreading across the galaxy had started with them both. They brought balance to each other and to the Force.

Around them, people clapped and continued with their celebration. Leia wanted to be able to hold her son in her arms forever and make sure he would never be taken from her again, but she knew she couldn't do that. She took a deep breath and separated from the two.

“You both need to rest. No need to be force sensitive to see how exhausted and hungry you are.”

"More exhausted than hungry." said Rey “Chewie prepared a feast for us at the Falcon.”

Ben nodded and took a deep breath "I have never felt so exhausted in my life."

"That's because neither of us had ever died before." said Rey and Leia stared at them, alarmed by the confirmation of what she had felt.

The two exchanged a look of panic when they saw her expression. They looked at each other, their expressions changing as if they were talking to each other without needing words.

Ben held her hand before starting “The fight against Palpatine took a lot from Rey and she died. So I brought her back, which was too much for me and I died.” Leia felt her heart ache when she heard her son saying it naturally, as if it happened to them all the time.

“And since I couldn't live without Ben, I begged for help and the Force itself materialized before us and brought him back. And now we are here.” offered Rey, in the same casual tone as her son.

Taking a deep breath, Leia forced herself to calm down to keep all her questions from coming out at once and nodded slowly “Okay, you're going to have to explain all this to me calmly after…. after you rest and regain your strength.”

The two nodded and walked slowly back to the Falcon. With Maz, Chewie and Lando at her side, Leia watched as the two stopped in the crowd, hugged each other, seeming to live in their own world, looking at each other as if one were the most _wonderful_ and _valuable_ thing the other had ever seen in life and the power that emanated from those two was something she never imagined possible to exist.

"I love you." she heard Rey say, one hand resting on his face and the other over his heart.

Her son smiled and said the only thing she didn't expect him to say " _I know_." and kissed her.

Leia smiled. The future was bright and full of _hope_.

**The End**

**Author's Note:**

> December 24, 2019 (the day I watched TROS) will be forever marked in my life as the day Ben Solo was taken from me. No matter what they do with him in the canon, he will remain alive in my heart, in my memory and in my stories.
> 
> Ben Solo lives and will be my hero forever.
> 
> Thanks for reading.
> 
> You can find me on:  
> My [Twitter](https://twitter.com/filhadoboto)   
> My [Tumblr](https://filhadoboto.tumblr.com/)


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